Thursday, October 14, 2004

John Kerry's Convictions

At the risk of getting into an area of politics that is particularly nasty, I cannot help but highlight John Kerry's nonsensical position on abortion. Here is what Kerry said last night in the debate:

SCHIEFFER: Sen. Kerry, a new question for you.

The New York Times reports that some Catholic archbishops are telling their church members that it would be a sin to vote for a candidate like you because you support a woman's right to choose an abortion and unlimited stem-cell research.
What is your reaction to that?

KERRY: I respect their views. I completely respect their views. I am a Catholic. And I grew up learning how to respect those views. But I disagree with them, as do many.

Obviously in Kerry-world, the teachings of his own religion are debatable, rather than truths. Kerry believes he is free to disagree with his God. He needs only "respect" his God's views. He tries to legitimize his half-hearted convictions (if they can be called that) by using the weaslely caveat, "as do many."

I believe that I can't legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith. What is an article of faith for me is not something that I can legislate on somebody who doesn't share that article of faith.

John Kerry spent his early years in politics working as a state prosecutor in Massachusetts. His main responsibilities were the enforcement of anti-prostitution and anti-gambling laws. He seemed to approach those cases with great vigor. So Kerry is willing to enforce morality on issues of sex and gambling, but not saving the lives of the innocent? I'm confused. I didn't know that what goes on in the bedroom and in dark smoky rooms is more important than saving human lives.

I ask also what John Kerry's views are on civil rights, crime, murder, rape, and other morality-based laws? At their most fundamental level, are not most laws based on traditional Judeo-Christian notions of morality, fairness, and the common good?

I believe that choice is a woman's choice. It's between a woman, God and her doctor. And that's why I support that.

As a Catholic, John Kerry is not permitted by the Church to hold this viewpoint. Abortion and euthanasia are two issues where the Catholic Church does not permit extenuating circumstances. Kerry, therefore, is in direct opposition with his Church here. But he believes that is OK, because so "do many."

Now, I will not allow somebody to come in and change Roe v. Wade.
The president has never said whether or not he would do that. But we know from the people he's tried to appoint to the court he wants to.
I will not. I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade.

I'm not certain exactly what the "right" of Roe v. Wade is. Please read the opinion yourself. You will find that the decision is not based on law at all, but on the personal opinions of the Justices in the majority. The Justices find what they are looking for in a number of Supreme Court cases that hold "that only personal rights that can be deemed 'fundamental' or 'implicit in the concept of ordered liberty,'...are included in this guarantee of personal privacy." The decision, in fact, admits, "[t]he Constitution does not explicitly mention any right of privacy."

Add to this wobbly language that it is not a consensus decision and the so-called "right" becomes extremely tenuous and more a construct of fantasy than a readily apparent right to be found legislated into the law.

(PS: There's that word again, "legislated." Kerry appears comfortable if appointed, unaccountable judges create law, but does not appear to trust citizens to write and pass laws. But I thought he was a man of the people?!)

Now, with respect to religion, you know, as I said, I grew up a Catholic. I was an altar boy. I know that throughout my life this has made a difference to me.

Only a "difference," but his outlook does not seemed to be defined by what should be his core beliefs. If not grounded in personal beliefs, into what personal depths will Kerry dip come the hard times during his presidency? If he has no anchor in his life, the shifting seas of world events will cause a commensurate shifting of his positions, would they not?

And as President Kennedy said when he ran for president, he said, "I'm not running to be a Catholic president. I'm running to be a president who happens to be Catholic."
My faith affects everything that I do, in truth. There's a great passage of the Bible that says, "What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead."

OK, sit down and think about this one. He is saying that it is the deeds which define the faith, rather than the faith itself. So if he truly believes this, then he would do the things which his faith teaches are the very deeds he is expected to commit. And if opposition to abortion is a fundamental requirement of the faith, is he not admitting here that he in fact has no faith? His deeds (please read this article) expose the falsity of his alleged faith. What he says in the next paragraph is moot if he only admits to committing the peripheral acts but cannot adhere to the fundamental deeds required of the faithful.

And I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith, but without transferring it in any official way to other people.
That's why I fight against poverty. That's why I fight to clean up the environment and protect this earth.
That's why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith.

Assuming Kerry is true to his word here, he should be commended for this. But he misuses the word "fundamental." Here he is doing the work of his religion. But he cannot escape the simple fact that as a Catholic politician, the Church has declared "fundamental" that opposition to abortion is required. One can still be a Democrat without believing that the deaths of 44 million American babies since Roe v. Wade is a matter of policy and not a crime against humanity. It is one issue amongst many, but absolutely critical as a Catholic politician or voter.

But I know this, that President Kennedy in his inaugural address told all of us that here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own. And that's what we have to -- I think that's the test of public service.

This sentence is absolutely absurd. President Kennedy is put on a higher pedestal than the Creator? How's that for arrogance?!

How can an individual this spineless be expected to make the tough decisions required of the President of the United States? Can he be counted on to make the necessary, but possibly unpopular decisions that some of our best presidents have shown are what make special leaders and keep our country at the pinnacle of civilization?

Obviously a person who willingly denies his religion to become a conformist under pressure from NARAL or NOW makes a particularly frightening figure as the one who will be directing our ship of state against Iran, North Korea, and China.

UPDATE: Just as a reminder, John Kerry believes life begins at conception. Yet, he is unwilling to legislate against something that would otherwise be murder under that belief. What could be more callous and indifferent than that?

4 Comments:

AW, perhaps you don't quite grasp "free will." If you actually read MC's post and let it resonate, you'll notice that he's not censuring free will. In fact, he's promoting it. The point he's getting at is that all the while John Kerry advertises that he can't legislate on his "faith" and "Catholicism," he then turns a 180 and says that your faith should determine how you live on Earth. Um...he just said he can't legislate on that. But honestly Senator - isn't that why people vote for you in the first place? Because of your core beliefs? Hypocritical. That is what this post is about.

But in addition, let me explain free will. Sure, it's the ability to do what we want. But it NOT the ability to do what we want without consequence. So Kerry can preach that he can't "legislate" on his Catholic beliefs. But if he does, in fact, believe in the Bible that he quotes and what the Church teaches regarding ultimate judgement...he WILL eventually have to answer for that.

So someone who's willing to take on God for what they believe is 'spineless'? Sounds like a pretty tough grudge match, my friend!

For this Limey at least, it looks like Kerry's deliberately highlighting his religious beliefs to win votes from those for whom that kind of thing matters. Yet, obviously, for some, he's not religious enough! He can't win!